I was in a high level meeting once with a non profit exec who I wont
name.. We were trying to explain the benefits of a confederated data
system.. Web 2.0, cloud, network effects, etc.. it didnt look like
anything was getting through. In a characteristic moment of
enthusiasm/impatience I burst in and said "your computers share the
information, and it gets better".. He looked at the floor. He said
moments later "We have the best information", "why?", "because our
information is billing information so that is always the most current.
"
He felt that he had the best info and the best system, and that
cooperating with other sources meant basically watering down his good
stuff, and, less control and power in the field. In his mind there was
literally no upside to a cloud system.. He didnt imagine there were
other vectors of content or quality...
Another story - the regulated energy monopoly here, Pacific Gas and
Electric, maintains geo data on power lines and all manner of other
infra structure.. Very valuable, slowly changes, verifiable.. I
overheard a hallway conversation with govt geo-data/ lawyer types.. One
said that the govt agency X (state?) had been trying for years to get
some kind of copy of the data set.. no go.. stonewall.. let alone any
public "linking"
"sharing" is not universally accepted practice in any number of
quarters...
individual programmers get huge gains from shared data sets..
entrenched institutions who have done the hard work to accumulate
certain sets, what do they have *in their eyes* to gain from linking...
verification, integrity, quality control oddly are developing
self-reinforcing culture of correction and maintenance, much to the
surprise (shock?) of many who had done it that old top down way...
lastly - A lawyer/professor tried to quantify some of the circumstances
under which positive feedback cycles could accelerate good things
happening (wikipedia) in a big boring book called "The Wealth of
Networks", (available as a free download at cyber law harvard)
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